The polite way to curse, with a history you didn't expect
True confession time: I have a bit of a potty mouth. And though studies have shown that swearing can be a sign of intelligence, using strong language isn’t appropriate in every context. So when I drop a cuss word in the “wrong” situation, I instinctively follow it up with the phrase pardon my French.
But why? Those colorful words we pepper into speech are definitely not French. So why do people say pardon my French? To find out, I spoke to Michael Adams, PhD, a professor of English and linguistics at Indiana University. Read on for a cheeky lesson.
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What does pardon my French mean?
The saying pardon my French (or excuse my French) is an idiomatic expression used when someone wants to apologize for swearing, using crude language or making a potentially offensive remark. “It sort of lifts responsibility for using the word that you weren’t supposed to use, even though it’s not a French word,” says Adams.
Pardon my French acts as a humorous or polite buffer, signaling to listeners that the speaker knows the language may be inappropriate.
Why do people say pardon my French?
People say pardon my French to soften the impact of their words and make swearing or blunt statements more socially acceptable. It’s a way to acknowledge that what they’re about to say (or already said) might offend someone, while still expressing their true feelings.
For many people, following a swear word with pardon my French is just an instinctive response—much like saying knock on wood to ward off bad luck—and they “don’t even know why they say it,” says Adams.
What is the origin of pardon my French?
Like other expressions, including break a leg, spill the beans and take it with a grain of salt, the phrase pardon my French has an interesting origin. Here’s how the phrase evolved.
Literal usage
In 19th-century Britain, English speakers used the phrase pardon my French literally when slipping French words into conversation. Because not everyone spoke French, people would politely excuse themselves with pardon my French. Take this example published in The Lady’s Magazine in 1830:
Bless me, how fat you are grown!—absolutely as round as a ball:—you will soon be as embonpoint (excuse my French) as your poor dear father, the major.
Here, embonpoint is French for well nourished or plump. So, yeah, the speaker is apologizing for calling someone fat in French—not for the insult itself. How rude!
An alternative meaning of French
Over time, the meaning of pardon my French shifted to cover profanity or strong opinions because “the word French is the real target in the phrase,” Adams says. “French just became an English word for anything that was risqué.”
According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), the word French was used “with the implication of sexual adventurousness or explicitness” as far back as 1682. But why? The French are thought to be “a very lascivious group of people,” Adams adds. “And if you were going to blame anybody for being lascivious, it would be the French.”
Some examples: In 1749’s Tom Jones, Henry Fielding refers to racy books as “French novels.” Condoms were known as French letters as far back as 1844, per the OED. And we’re all familiar with French kissing (though that term wasn’t recorded until 1922).
As a euphemism
Though the stereotype that the English are uptight and the French aren’t is debatable, Adams admits that it’s “certainly true that the English didn’t talk about some things openly in the way that some other cultures did.”
And that, he says, is actually productive for the vocabulary of English: “We don’t talk about women’s underwear, but saying negligee is OK because it’s French. So in a way, I’ve used the French as a euphemism for what I can’t talk about—what is taboo in my linguistic culture.” Other French words absorbed into English, often keeping that slightly naughty connotation, include femme fatale, lingerie and risqué itself.
Further evolution
Though England and France had a neighborly rivalry for centuries (going all the way back to the Norman Conquest in 1066), English speakers often borrowed French words to sound worldly or refined. Over time, some of these terms retained their flirtatious or taboo undertones, which is why pardon my French evolved from literally apologizing for using French words to apologizing for naughty language—even when no French was involved.
And by the way, the phrase was originally excuse my French (1830), and it developed into pardon my French (1895). As Adams notes, “Pardon won. Excuse lost.”
How did this phrase make its way to America?
As British literature and newspapers circulated internationally, American readers and writers adopted the expression pardon my French as a tongue-in-cheek way to excuse profanity. Its spread was reinforced by the British cultural influence on American society during the Victorian era and the early 20th century, a time when borrowing idioms and phrases from Britain was common.
These days, it’s fair to say the phrase is alive on both sides of the Atlantic, but more actively used in the United States, according to Adams.
How would you use this phrase?
The phrase pardon my French is almost always tied to swearing, insults or strong opinions. Who can forget Cameron Frye on the phone to Principal Rooney in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off: “Pardon my French, but you’re an a—hole.”
Here are a few other ways pardon my French might be used in everyday conversation:
- “Pardon my French, but that movie was absolute crap.”
- “Wow, pardon my French, but that cake tastes like garbage.”
- “Pardon my French, but traffic is a freaking disaster this morning.”
- “She’s amazing at her job—she totally kicks ass. Oh, sorry, pardon my French.”
- “I’m late again—pardon my French—my alarm clock is a piece of crap.”
- “I don’t mean to offend, pardon my French, but his attitude sucks.”
What other phrases mean the same thing as pardon my French?
Here are several other ways to preface or apologize for strong language or strong opinions:
- Forgive my French
- Mind my French
- Pardon my language
- Excuse my language
- I beg your pardon (for swearing)
- Mind my language
- Excuse my wording
So the next time you drop a naughty word, don’t panic. Just follow it with pardon my French. You’re not just swearing; you’re participating in centuries of linguistic history. And really, isn’t that a little classy?
About the expert
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At Reader’s Digest, we’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experiences where appropriate. For this piece on why people say pardon my French, Jo Ann Liguori tapped her decades of experience as a copy editor who often writes about language, grammar and fun facts for Reader’s Digest. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.
Sources:
- Michael Adams, professor of English and linguistics at Indiana University Bloomington and author of Slayer Slang: A Buffy the Vampire Slayer Lexicon; phone interview, Aug. 18, 2025
- Oxford English Dictionary: “French”
- Online Etymology Dictionary: “French”
- Phrase Finder: “Excuse My French”
- CNN: “Why swearing is a sign of intelligence, helps manage pain and more”
- The Lady’s Magazine
